High Noon at the Best Western Kuta

Regent of Badung Issues Letter Ordering Closure of Best Western Kuta, Bali.

(4/18/2011) DenPost reports that the history of the Best Western Kuta has come to end with the issuance of an official letter by the regent of Badung ordering the closure and sealing of the 111-room hotel.

The head of the regency's enforcement team, Ketut Martha, confirmed on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, that his office has received a formal order to close the hotel signed by the regent.

A follow-up meeting with various departments of the regency is scheduled for Tuesday, April 19, 2011, to plan and coordinate the formal shut-down of the hotel.

The coming closure is, perhaps, the final chapter in a process that began on March 28, 2011, when the regent of Badung, A.A. Gde Agung, gave the hotel a one-week deadline to close its doors.

The firm action in shutting down the illegally built and unlicensed hotel has received enthusiastic support from lawmakers elected to the Badung House of Representatives (DPRD-Badung) who are praising the stern steps taken by the regent and calling for similar steps be taken without fear or favor against a long-list of other companies who are violating regency rules and regulations.

Legislators are also asking the somewhat embarrassing question of how the Best Western Kuta managed to be built and operate for nearly two years, with both the construction and the operation in blatant violation of zoning and business licensing laws.